Sky planning US push with new Roku investment?

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Roku, the leading streaming set-top box provider in the US, have received a major investment push of $45 million from News Corporation and BSkyB among others.

BSkyB’s investment has sparked suggestion that the company are looking to expand Sky’s offering in the States. News Corporation already offer Fox News, WSJ Live and X-Factor apps to Roku boxes, and BSkyB’s investment suggests the company may be looking to take on Netflix on its home turf with the launch of their Sky-content-powered brand new NOW TV streaming service.

“We’re delighted to have entered into this strategic relationship with Roku,” said Andrew Griffiths, BSkyB’s chief financial officer.

“As an innovative content company we’re committed to embracing a wide range of complementary platforms to create more choice and flexibility for customers. Working with Roku we look forward to extending our multi-platform leadership.”

News Corporation’s chief digital officer Jon Miller added:

“We have watched Roku maintain market leadership since the launch of its streaming platform four years ago and we look forward to deepening our relationship, having already worked closely together on the launch of several products. Roku’s significant technology advantage, coupled with a strong market position, places them in a unique position to be an integral part of the television landscape for years to come.”

Roku themselves are also gearing up for an interesting product launch later this Autumn. The Roku Streaming Stick will offer the same functionality as their home streaming boxes, but will be a portable, thumb-drive sized system that slots into a HDMI slot on a television.